The army has signed a contract of Rs 6390 million for the procurement of 1,86,138 bulletproof jackets (BPJ) that will be manufactured by a private Indian company called SMPP Pvt. Ltd. 

According to an officer, “The contracted BPJs have contemporary and state-of-the-art specifications with added protection level and coverage area. These ergonomically designed BPJs have modular parts, thereby providing immense protection and flexibility to soldiers operating in different operational situations ranging from long-distance patrolling to high-risk room intervention scenarios.” 

The SMPP samples managed to pass the stringent field evaluation trials, unlike the ones offered in 2015 from six vendors. The failure of the 2015 samples leads to the scrapping of the proposed contract for 1.86 lakh modular BPJs, which in turn lead to a panicked “emergency” procurement of 50,000 BPJs from Tata Advanced Materials Limited for Rs 1400 million that adhered to the old parameters. 

“The new jackets meet the most advanced GSQRs 1438 (technical parameters) standards of the Indian Army. These BPJs have `Boron Carbide Ceramic’, which is the lightest material for ballistic protection,” said SMPP chairman S C Kansal. 

These new light-weight jackets will provide soldiers with adequate protection for their heads, necks, chests, groins, and sides. It will also help them negotiate difficult terrains with ease. The supply is slated to commence in three months and the entire order is meant to be delivered in three years. Till then, the soldiers will have to rely on the old bulky bulletproof jackets that provide a lesser degree of protection. 

Meanwhile, the army is still waiting on new assault rifles, close-quarter battle carbines and light-machine guns, the receipt of which seem like a pipe dream at the moment. 

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